Stoptober takes place every October in the UK. Launched in 2012, the campaign encourages smokers to quit for 28 days. The theme for 2024 is ‘When you stop smoking, good things start to happen’.
Image Credit: Bedfont Scientific Ltd.
Bedfont® Scientific Ltd., world leaders in breath analysis, hosted a discussion with Smokerlyzer® Medical Advisory Board Members Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin and Dr Anne Yee. The panel explored the impact Stoptober has on people’s quit smoking attempts as well as, the efforts made in their native Malaysia in regards to smoking cessation.
The discussion covered some interesting subjects around smoking cessation, including Stoptober, smoking cessation efforts in Malaysia, the increasing prevalence of vaping and the role carbon monoxide (CO) devices play in helping individuals quit smoking.
Watch the Stoptober Panel Discussion
What is Stoptober?
Stoptober is now in its 14th year; this month-long UK public health campaign encourages smokers to quit for 28 days. Research has shown that if you stop smoking for 28 days, you are 5 times more likely to quit for good1. This campaign is designed to make quitting smoking more achievable by providing structured support during October, with the ultimate goal of improving public health.
How have marketing regulations around smoking-related products influenced smoking habits and cessation efforts?
Ultimately, we want people to attempt to quit smoking and the environment around those people to support that attempt. This can be done by:
- Giving people the opportunity to quit
- Advertise and encourage people to quit
- Provide people with stop smoking aids
With the resources available, individuals can quit smoking. However, the environment must be pro-quitting. This can be achieved through policies such as no-smoking areas and de-normalising smoking behaviour. This will help people attempting to quit, feel safe to quit and maintain a no-smoking status. This is where Stoptober is a great initiative, promoting smoking cessation and bringing everyone together in their attempt.
The impetus of Stoptober has helped assist people to stop smoking and there are a variety of initiatives within the campaign that are quite useful. Quit smoking aids have been made highly accessible and it has driven healthcare providers to have the materials available to assist people’s quit attempts.
It is estimated that every Stoptober, around 300 – 400 thousand people in the UK attempt to quit smoking2. The campaign creates a sense of community, promoting quitting together with a clear structure of 28 days. These points are what make Stoptober so successful.
Are there any behavioural or psychological mechanisms during Stoptober that increase the chance of stopping smoking for good?
During October, as individuals are driven to quit, they are provided with every opportunity to quit. The digital health programme by the University College London (UCL) empowers those who want to quit on their own to do so, but providing a digital app, means those people are not actually on their own. Those who prefer face-to-face interaction have access to stop-smoking clinics across the country.
Stoptober is supported by the government, which drives an actionable campaign for those who want to quit and quit together in masses. This is where the communal effort is helpful, support from others going through the same experience can help.
A good example of communal effort is Ramadan, Ramadan is an Islamic holy month where Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. As Muslims are required to abstain from smoking during fasting hours, this provides the perfect opportunity for Muslims to quit smoking indefinitely and can act as a natural starting point to quit smoking.
Government-led initiatives should not just be one-offs, there should be regular or continuous efforts. People’s motivation to quit smoking should not just be 1 month of the year, in May we have World No Tobacco Day, which then leads to Stoptober and then leads to the New Year when smokers are inspired to make a change and attempt to quit again if they previously were unsuccessful. Eventually, if the cycle continues, people will be more likely to quit for good.
What is happening in Malaysia concerning smoking cessation efforts?
Coincidentally, Malaysia’s Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 officially came into effect in October. This act has stricter regulations on packaging, advertising of smoking and vaping products and public smoking bans.
Malaysia is on track to provide a pro quitting environment and these regulations will help maintain that. This is the first bill of its kind to come into effect and specifically targets the use of e-cigarettes such as vapes among minors; preventing the sale of tobacco and e-cigarettes to minors.
There is a difference between Malaysia and the UK concerning vapes, in the UK, vapes are used to aid smoking cessation. However, in Malaysia, it has been made increasingly more difficult to obtain these devices.
Watch the Stoptober Panel Discussion
What role do CO monitoring devices play in helping individuals quit smoking and how effective are they as a motivational tool?
CO devices play an important role in smoking cessation programmes as they offer immediate and tangible feedback to smokers on their CO levels. It is also a key indicator of how smoking impacts the body, providing real-time feedback on the immediate effects of their smoking behaviour. It also shows the results of their daily, weekly and monthly efforts to give up smoking by showing the reduction in CO levels.
Image Credit: Bedfont Scientific Ltd.
Research has shown that those who used a CO device during their quit attempt have higher success rates than those who did not5.
We live in a digital world and these devices have the opportunity to integrate with digital health forms, allowing smokers to monitor their progress over time. The Bedfont® iCOquit® Smokerlyzer® does just that.
Part of the Smokerlyzer® range, the iCOquit® is a personal Bluetooth® CO device that connects to an app and allows users to measure their CO levels remotely whilst quitting smoking. This then allows for the results to be shared with smoking cessation advisors.
People are now moving towards taking control of their health, leading to healthier lifestyles and this is where the iCOquit® can help. Empowering people to take ownership of their health and do something about it, allowing people to quit smoking on their terms, by themselves to a certain extent. To find out more about the iCOquit® and the Smokerlyzer® range, click here.
Malaysia has developed a digital health tool ‘GEMPAQ’ (Getting Every Smoker to Participate and Quit). The app offers smokers a convenient and accessible platform to receive tailored support to help them quit smoking. If this app could be integrated with the Smokerlyzer® devices, it would be a big help to those who want to quit smoking.
In summary, CO devices like the Smokerlyzer® range help to maintain that motivation to keep up with a person's quit attempt and help them to maintain a no-smoking status. Immediate biofeedback is particularly helpful for some smokers, allowing them to see their quit attempt manifesting positively through the reduction of CO in their respiratory system, which correlates with the improvement of their overall health.
Watch the Stoptober Panel Discussion
What advice can be given to someone who relapses after Stoptober?
Evidence suggests that the more times you attempt to quit, the more likely it is you will succeed. Stoptober is a great opportunity to re-attempt to quit if a previous attempt has failed earlier in the year.
Both Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin and Dr Anne Yee say “You learn something from each quit attempt, making you stronger to face the next attempt. Each time you gain knowledge and can expand the support network, giving you a better chance of succeeding.”
The discussion covered some very important and interesting topics. To watch the full discussion, click here. If you enjoyed our expert discussion on Stoptober, be sure to watch our previous discussion on World No Tobacco Day, featuring Dr Amer, Dr Anne and external guest speaker Professor Christopher Bullen.
References
- Gov.uk. Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Neil O’Brien MP. [cited on 22/8/24] Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/95-of-ex-smokers-see-positive-changes-soon-after-quitting#:~:text=Stoptober%20is%20based%20on%20evidence,likely%20to%20quit%20for%20good
- ucl.ac.uk. UCL. [cited on 17/10/24] Available from https://www.ucl.ac.uk/impact/case-studies/2022/apr/ucl-research-informs-stoptober-helping-thousands-quit-smoking
- BMC Public Health. Hock Kuang lim, Sumarni Mohd Ghazali, Cheong Chee Kee, Kuay Kuang Lim, Ying Ying Chan, Huey Chien The, Ahmad Faudzi Mohd Yusoff, Gurpreet Kaur, Zarinah Mohd Zain, Mohamad Haniki Niki Mohamad & Sallehuddin Salleh. [cited on 16/10/24] Available from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-8
- nst.com.my. Hana Naz Harun, Fuad Nizam. [cited on 16/10/24] Available from https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/1051419/600-pct-increase-e-cigarette-users-2023-2011-updated
- pcrs-uk.org. Noel Baxter. [cited on 16/10/24] Available from https://www.pcrs-uk.org/sites/default/files/CarbonMonoxideTesting.pdf
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